A few days ago some people asked me about experiences
to travel Tam Coc area, my honor. I'm happy to share my
own experience so that you can arrange a Tam Coc tour from Hanoi
by yourself without spending too much.
To enjoy full beauty of Tam Coc area I recommend that
you spend 2 days instead of a day trip, it will be too
rush as the drive from Hanoi to Tam Coc would cost you 3
hours each way (110 km), you can travel by private car,
motorbike so that you can control your time, and if your
budget is tight public bus is also a good choice, there
are plenty of buses starting from Ben Xe Phia Nam bus
station in Hanoi, fares is about 4 usd/person one way.
If you want to see the golden color of the rice fields
then the period from the end of May to early June is
best to visit Tam Coc and Ninh Binh. At that time the
green color of vegetation coupled with yellow color of
rice fields will make a wonderful picture with beautiful
layers. After Lunar New year period you can admire the
green fields stretching out to greet the spring breeze.
As mentioned before the distance between Hanoi and Tam
Coc is pretty close so you can go on a day trip.
However, if you want to stay overnight to combine
sightseeing spots outside the Tam Coc in Ninh Binh there
are many hotels to choose from. The tourism industry in
Tam Coc is pretty well developed so the accommodation
facilities here are also handy to serve the needs of
travelers. You can choose to stay at the affordable
guesthouses around boat dock in Tam Coc, or if money is
not your problem, the nearby Ninh Binh town also has
good hotels 3 stars to 5 stars to choose. I myself have
a good impression at Nam Hoa hotel, just a few minutes
walk from tourist area, it has a large yard for parking,
in the evening and morning someone will take car of your
bikes, and the owner of the hotel Mrs Hoa is very
friendly
Food and eating:
It is best to eat at the hotel you stay. As a habit most
travelers tend to eat at a restaurant outside however in
Tam Coc most restaurants are also associated with
hotels, there are some choices around the boat dock such
as Anh Dzung, The Long, Duc Tuan...
Specialty of Tam Coc and Ninh Binh is goat meat,
especially grilled goat, the meat is crisp, thin fat
very tasty. Tiet canh de (Goat blood pudding) is said
very good but I don't like to drink the blood of
animals. Com Chay (Burned rice) is another specialty of
Ninh Binh (priced around 1 usd/boxe sold in the
marketplace and in the restaurant is 2 usd a dish), but
I don't like it as the oil is used many times. I felt
the rice has burned fat smell and spicies are not tasty.
In addition there are other delicacies that you can not
ignore such as: Kim Son wine, eel soup, Yen Mac spring
roll...
Tam Coc boat trip
Boat ride is the only way for you to visit Tam Coc. If
traveling by road, you can just walk around outside.
Ticket prices are 3.5 usd/person in 2 hours. In Tam Coc
are the management of boats is very good, there are
about 1500 boats of households. The boats are numbered
and the families take turn to serve. I heard each boat
goes two times in a month. Ah remember to have your tips
ready as the boat rowers will ask for tip. While
visiting Tam Coc, you should discuss this in advance
with the boatman, if you want to stop to take pictures,
or if you want to climb up high to find a good place to
take picture of the beautiful scenery, with the
experience and understanding of the place the boatman
will be able to stop the boat and finding a convenient
place, suitable for you to climb up the cliff. Don't
stand up suddenly you will endanger yourself but also
dangerous for those who go on the same boat.
Best time to do a boat ride is spring and summer as the
rice on either side of the Ngo Dong river is yellow
ripe. Ine summer there are often thunderstorms in Tam
Coc and you should depart in the early morning. Because
once you get there the weather is not too hot and most
importantly avoid the rains that usually occur in the
afternoon.
Souvenir:
As mentioned above, you should not buy Com Chay. You can
buy some goat meat (16 usd/kg). Please always remember
to ask the soy sauce and herbs as well. Goat meat is
also sold live always at the hotel. If you go home via
Ho Chi Minh highway you can buy sugar cane selling more
on the way.
The neighborhood:
Around the Tam Coc area you can also visit Bich Dong
pagoda and take a
tour to Trang An and Bai Dinh landscape complex, Kenh Ga
canal or Cuc Phuong national park, each place has it's
own charm however to see all these place you need at
least 2 more days.
